Press Release – Wellington City Council
Wellington residents who are still without power after last Thursday’s storms are invited to use hot showers at City Council recreation centres and swimming pools (see contacts and opening hours below).

Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, who visited some of the homes without power this morning with the Council’s Local Host staff, says people are welcome to head to our community centres to warm up.

“We are working closely with Wellington Electricity and understand around 500 homes are still without power because of the extensive damage,” she says.

“If your power’s still off and you need to warm up, please come and have a hot drink and a chat to staff at one of our community centres. We are also offering free hot showers at our pools and recreation centres. You can also spend time and stay warm at your local library.”

Mayor Wade-Brown also encourages people to check on their neighbours if they are still without power, especially if they’re elderly or vulnerable.

“Today I joined the team knocking on doors where people were possibly without power, and most people are well supported by neighbours and family. Wellington City Council will continue to encourage community resilience and neighbourhood connections,” she says.

Many walking tracks around the city are closed due to safety concerns. Trees have fallen or have precariously hanging limbs and there are slips and other damage to tracks.

Affected areas that are currently closed include:
• parts of the Northern Walkway on Te Ahumairangi (Tinakori Hill)
• Moturoa Stream Walkway in Central Park – where fallen trees have damaged at least one footbridge
• City to Sea Walkway through Finnimore Terrace, above Rugby League Park
• Conviction track in Centennial Reserve, Miramar
• parts of the Lookout and Summit Walkways on Mt Victoria
• Te Araroa national walkway through Spicer Forest
• Berhampore Golf Course, which closed due to fallen trees on the fairways.

While we’ll try to clean up the tracks and ensure they’re safe for use as soon as possible, some may remain out of action for several months. The Council’s key priorities at the moment are to fix roads, clear sportsfields and remove trees posing pressing threats to the public.

The four-wheel drive track from Owhiro Bay to Red Rocks will also be closed for the foreseeable future – the roadway has been pretty much destroyed by the huge seas that hit the south coast.

Council staff are still gathering information in the reserve network and there may be additional track closures.

We’re working on getting signage out into affected areas and on our website. If you’re planning on using any tracks around the city, it’s important to respect any closures – and take care.